Midweek getaway, PNW Edition

June 24, 2016 9:18 PM

Our landlord is going to be replacing the kitchen floor next month, and as a result my partner and I need to be elsewhere for a few days. Since we'll be paying for lodgings anyway, we'd like to make it into a bit of a vacation! But where?

We live about an hour south of Seattle, so western Washington and Oregon destinations are ideal. Our budget is maybe $150-175 per night, and I've been perusing Airbnb locations to make that go further. Requirements are a/c, wifi, and a place to plug in a CPAP. Since I'm dealing with a bad knee, sporty activities are right out. He's a gamer geek, I'm more artsy-fartsy, and we both have a healthy appreciation for the offbeat and bizarre.

So, AskMe...where would YOU send us in the third week of July?

posted by Vervain to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

Port Townsend is really nice, and a short drive to a bunch of outdoorsy stuff that is easy to access without serious hiking (Crescent Lake, Hurricane Ridge).

Vashon Island is fun and quite offbeat.

I'm going to assume you've already been to Portland a lot, but in case you haven't ... Portland is pretty ideal for both artsiness and offbeat/bizarre/geeky.
posted by lunasol at 10:41 PM on June 24, 2016

Seconding Vashon. You don't mention international travel, but you're reallllly close to Vancouver, which is super fun and has great parks and museums. And cheap sushi :)
posted by ananci at 11:02 PM on June 24, 2016

The Sou'Wester (coastal artists trailer/cottage colony).
posted by hungrytiger at 12:55 AM on June 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Astoria, OR
posted by matildaben at 6:58 AM on June 25, 2016

It's a little bit of a drive, but I'd be tempted to go up to Point Roberts, WA, one of only a couple inhabited American exclaves. Limited AirBnB choices but there's a couple places on the point that look very nice and well within your budget. Quiet and relaxing. There's Monument Park and Roosevelt Way on the border if you want quirky (well it is to me anyway), and Vancouver is about 40 minutes away if you're looking for more hustle and bustle.
posted by SquidLips at 8:22 AM on June 25, 2016

Oh, and if you want artsy and quirky, according to this website, all of the fire hydrants in Point Roberts are hand-painted and decorated by locals.
posted by SquidLips at 8:39 AM on June 25, 2016

Drive around the Olympic peninsula on the 101. Don't miss Ilwaco, Astoria, lake Quinault, Kalaloch and its beaches, La Push, Sequim. You can do all of this drive ( on the 101 and the 20 ) in a long day - the distances are not long, but I invite you to linger. Recommend the historic inn at Quinault, and Kalaloch lodge and the inn at Crescent Lake.

Or, why not take the I5 up to Sedro Woolley and head East on SR20 to the Methow. Stop in Winthrop, then in Chelan, take the boat to Stehekin, spend the night there, return to Chelan and continue your journey South via Wenatchee, Leavenworth ( perhaps a detour to Grand Coulée Dam? ) and then home. Again, this is not a long ways out but if you stay at Freestone Inn in Mazama and at the inn in Stehekin, these are beautiful places.
posted by seawallrunner at 1:22 PM on June 25, 2016

Both of seawallrunner's suggestions are very high on my todo list whenever I have a few days to kill.
posted by wotsac at 6:19 PM on June 25, 2016

...yeah, I'm thinking of doing the drive to the Methow / Chelan / Stehekin/ home this summer. It's such a beautiful area, and so different from the coast where I live.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:27 PM on June 25, 2016